Thursday, August 28, 2008

Thoughts on a Better Food Policy and our Health

Ten points to better health 1. Know what you're eating. Find out where it comes from and what's in it. Think about what's in season now - what's ripe, not just fresh. A lot of these foods will turn out to be local.2. Get cooking. And try making things from scratch. You'll save money and rediscover skills you forgot you had.3. Plant something. It could be an herb pot on your kitchen counter or, if you have space at home, a small kitchen garden, or a communal plot in your neighborhood that you tend with family and friends. (The Victory Garden on Civic Center Plaza is a landscape of ideas, staffed by experts who can guide your hands to the soil.)4. Pack a bag lunch.5. Drink tap water. It's healthier for you, and it's free.6. Learn about and celebrate the food traditions your family still possesses. These are like seeds, long stored and just waiting to be planted.7. Invite someone to share a meal. Strengthen the bonds of friendship and community by cooking and eating together.8. Learn about endangered foods and how we can bring them back to our tables.9. Conserve, compost and recycle.10. Vote with your fork.

Healthy Food and Agriculture Declaration, orchestrated by Roots of Change as a response to the farm billhttp://fooddeclaration.org/